Isabella and her servant heart.
From the time I found out I was going to be a mom, I began praying fervently for two things...
1.) That my child(ren) would come to know, love and accept Christ at a young age.
2.) That my child(ren) would have a servant heart like Jesus.
I grew up in a home where my parents showed my sisters and me what it is like to love God by serving. They serve together in my childhood home as husband/wife and parents. They both serve in church ministry. They serve other people by; opening up their home for counseling, providing meals for families when they are going through an overwhelming life change, speaking words of encouragement during difficult times, supporting their children and grandchildren unconditionally, and the list goes on...
We are products of who are parents are. I had the best role models and now I want my children to see ME serving. I want to teach them what it means to serve your family inside the home, to volunteer your time and resources at church to help make more and better disciples, to be a light for their friends, teachers and bus drivers. I want to be like Christ so that my children know what that looks like.
Last year I had the pleasure of being with (four year old) Isabella when she tenderly and sweetly told God she was not perfect, that she sometimes did, said, and thought unkind things, and asked Jesus to forgive her. It is a moment marked in my memory for eternity. A moment I rejoice in. A moment I will forever cherish.
God has given my Bella a spirit of kindness and a desire to love other people. This morning she reached into the cupboard, grabbed two travel mugs and asked if I could help her make two cups of coffee. This was such a strange request and, as I did what she asked, she told me how Mr. M (her bus driver) and Ms. S (her bus aid) both loved coffee. Once the coffee cups were full, complete with caramel coffee cream, she took them and (independently) carried them down our (decently) long driveway, up the bus steps and sweetly handed them to Mr. M and Ms. S. They were both so surprised and extremely blessed to have been thought of by this 5 year old kindergartner that Mr. M held up traffic to give her a special "thank you" and to personally let me know how much he appreciated the gesture.
I can see that my children do have a heart like Jesus and I will do everything to continue fostering that. In the mean time, I still pray for Abbi and Aidan, that they will both come to accept Christ. I continue to pray for all three of my kiddos to grow up with a desire to serve our Savior by serving others. But, I also desire to be a mother who doesn't just pray these things, but who leads my littles by example...
1.) That my child(ren) would come to know, love and accept Christ at a young age.
2.) That my child(ren) would have a servant heart like Jesus.
I grew up in a home where my parents showed my sisters and me what it is like to love God by serving. They serve together in my childhood home as husband/wife and parents. They both serve in church ministry. They serve other people by; opening up their home for counseling, providing meals for families when they are going through an overwhelming life change, speaking words of encouragement during difficult times, supporting their children and grandchildren unconditionally, and the list goes on...
We are products of who are parents are. I had the best role models and now I want my children to see ME serving. I want to teach them what it means to serve your family inside the home, to volunteer your time and resources at church to help make more and better disciples, to be a light for their friends, teachers and bus drivers. I want to be like Christ so that my children know what that looks like.
Last year I had the pleasure of being with (four year old) Isabella when she tenderly and sweetly told God she was not perfect, that she sometimes did, said, and thought unkind things, and asked Jesus to forgive her. It is a moment marked in my memory for eternity. A moment I rejoice in. A moment I will forever cherish.
God has given my Bella a spirit of kindness and a desire to love other people. This morning she reached into the cupboard, grabbed two travel mugs and asked if I could help her make two cups of coffee. This was such a strange request and, as I did what she asked, she told me how Mr. M (her bus driver) and Ms. S (her bus aid) both loved coffee. Once the coffee cups were full, complete with caramel coffee cream, she took them and (independently) carried them down our (decently) long driveway, up the bus steps and sweetly handed them to Mr. M and Ms. S. They were both so surprised and extremely blessed to have been thought of by this 5 year old kindergartner that Mr. M held up traffic to give her a special "thank you" and to personally let me know how much he appreciated the gesture.
I can see that my children do have a heart like Jesus and I will do everything to continue fostering that. In the mean time, I still pray for Abbi and Aidan, that they will both come to accept Christ. I continue to pray for all three of my kiddos to grow up with a desire to serve our Savior by serving others. But, I also desire to be a mother who doesn't just pray these things, but who leads my littles by example...
"Train up a child in the way (s)he should go;
even when (s)he is old (s)he will not depart from it."
even when (s)he is old (s)he will not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6
Oh Cassie.. I could comment on every single post. They all touch my heart in so many ways. But this one, this one spoke to me the most. Thank you for sharing this, it gave me a lot to think about with my own family. Love your blog! So glad I found it!
ReplyDeleteYou are so incredibly encouraging. Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your own heart (so beautiful) in Mommy's Front Porch View. You are inspirational!
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